Nagasawa Setsu Mode Seminar - Postwar Fashion Education and the Cradle of Expression (circa 1970)

Nagasawa Setsu Mode Seminar - Postwar Fashion Education and the Cradle of Expression (circa 1970)

Setsu Nagasawa was an illustrator who established a unique presence in the postwar Japanese fashion world. His private school, Nagasawa Setsu Mode Seminar, began in 1954 in Aoyama, Tokyo. Around 1970, riding the wave of rapid economic growth, youth culture and subcultures were rapidly expanding in Tokyo, and fashion was attracting attention as a means of self-expression. In this context, the seminar functioned as a free educational space that differed from both art universities and clothing colleges. Emphasis was placed on "sensitivity" and "beauty of line" rather than "drawing techniques. Students were trained in observation and individuality, and their interests expanded to include not only fashion illustration, but also stage art, women's clothing culture, and a variety of other forms of expression. Many of the graduates later made their mark as cultural figures, and the cross-dresser "Kokeshi" was one of the graduates of this seminar. The unique style and sense of beauty
that she/he displayed in Shinjuku was an extension of the sensibility nurtured at this seminar. The Nagasawa Setsu Mode Seminar continued to be the starting point for many expressionists as a place where postwar urban culture and mode intersected.